Remember when smoking jackets were a thing? Neither do we! But that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate a good shacket when we wear one – and make no mistake, shackets are trending, for good reason: they’re a great layering piece, indoors and out, for shoulder seasons or the deep dark days of winter.
Here in Anchorage, Alaska, we’ve had more than our normal share of below zero days and nights this winter. To add to the fun, our garage heater at Gearflogger HQ went kaput, which sucks because our desk is located right next to the door to the garage – which now must be kept open to get some heat in there. Enter the Feedback shirt jacket from Outdoor Research.
The Feedback looks like an oversized plaid flannel shirt. When you handle it the feel is very luxurious, thanks to the soft sherpa fleece and sharp looking flannel materials, backed by a light insulation layer. You just want to put it on immediately, and once on it feels every bit as good as it looks. You can turn the collar up for a little extra warmth, and the open hand pockets will keep your mitts toasty too. The left chest pocket has a pen sleeve, while the right side is open all the way across. Inside there is a left chest pocket with zipper closure, large enough for most plus-sized phones.
The sleeves have two snaps each, and the front a total of six, so you can adjust the amount of coverage if you want to shed some heat. That’s a real possibility as the Feedback isn’t just a really nice-looking piece, it provides serious warmth when completely done up. We wear it snapped, partly snapped and fully unsnapped, by itself and under a jacket, collar up and collar down. The Feedback is in constant use, especially next to the open door into the garage, which is losing the battle with the -8F temps outside.
Any way you wear it, the Feedback is a great shirt, a great jacket, and a great combination of the two. Highly recommended.